Short wavelength waveguides

ABSTRACT

A light waveguide is formed by atomising under vacuum and deposition upon a substrate, of a metal such for example as tantalum, in an atomsphere comprising a gas capable, in association with the metal, of forming a chemical combination, oxygen in the case of tantalum. The deposit is a complex compound of the metal and of the gas if the gas pressure is insufficient to produce the desired chemical combination (tantalum pentoxide Ta2O5); the assembly, after appropriate masking, is subjected to a chemical process which converts the unprotected parts into said combination.

United States Patent 1 Croset et al.

[ 1 June 17, 1975 1 SHORT WAVELENGTH WAVEGUIDES [75] Inventors: Michel Croset; Gonzalo Velasco,

both of Paris, France [73] Assignee: Thomson-CSF, Paris, France [22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1974 v 21 Appl. No.: 447,054

Related US. Application Data Division ofSer. No. 279,360, Aug. 10, 1972, Pat. No.

, OTHER PUBLICATIONS Hensler et al., Optical propagation in Sheet and Pattern Generated Films of Tap Applied Optics, Vol. 10, No. 5, pgs. 1037-1042, May, 1971.

Primary Examiner-C. W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-James R. Duzan Attorney, Agent, or F irmCushman, Darby & Cushman [5 7 ABSTRACT A light waveguide is formed by atomising under vacuum and deposition upon a substrate, of a metal such for example as tantalum, in an atomsphere comprising a gas capable, in association with the metal, of forming a chemical combination, oxygen in the case of tantalum. The deposit is a complex compound of the metal and of the gas if the gas pressure is insufficient to produce the desired chemical combination (tantalum pentoxide Ta O the assembly, after appropriate masking, is subjected to a chemical process which converts the unprotected parts into said combination.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN 1 7 I975 SHEET L TI- 1 SHORT WAVELENGTH WAVEGUIDES This is a division, of application Ser. No. 279,360,

filed Aug. 10, 1972, now Pat. No.'3,820,87l.

2 of the waveguide as a consequence of the phenomenon of total reflection.

- 'It is clear that it is difficult to produce waveguides of this kind and, in particular, it has not thus far been possible to correctly produce such waveguides by methods similar to the integration techniques utilised in semiconductor circuitry.

The object of the present invention is waveguides of this kind and the method of their manufacture.

It likewise relates to the method of manufacturing circuits made of waveguides of this kind.

The invention will be better understood from a consideration of the ensuing description and by reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an explanatory graph;

FIGS. 2 and 3 show in transverse section a waveguide in accordance with the invention during the course of stages in the manufacturing process, which latter likewise forms part of the object of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a waveguide of this kind in perspective;

FIG. 5 illustrates a directional coupler produced using waveguides in accordance with the invention.

The invention constitutes an application of the techniques of deposition under vacuo.

The principle is as follows:

In an evacuated enclosure, for example by cathodesputtering, or vaporising, a flow of metal particle is generated and these deposited upon a substrate. If, during operation, there is introduced at a predetermined partial pressure into the enclosure, a gas capable of reacting with the metal, the resultant deposit will be a complex compound and its refractive index vis-a-vis light rays, in respect of which it is transparent, will range from a value N corresponding to the refractive index of the metal to a value n which is the refractive index of the chemical compound of metal and gas. This latter combination will be obtained if the partial pressure P of the gas is sufficient to produce the stoichiometric combination in question.

In other words, as long as the partial pressure does not reach the value P,,, the index of the deposit n will be variable, n=f(P),n varying from N to n for P ranging from O to P In the following, it will be assumed by way of nonlimitative example that the metal is tantalum and the reactive gas, oxygen. The invention is equally applicable to zirconium and oxygen.

The compound of tantalum and oxygen is tantalum pentoxide Ta O For 0 P P,,, the index will vary from N,,=3.3 being the index of tantalum, to n,,=2.2 being the index of tantalum oxide.

This beingso, the invention-consists in producing waveguides in a medium having a high refractive index, which waveguides are embedded in a plate exhibiting a lower refractive index, for example waveguides obtained by deposition at a pressure P P of a sub-stoechiometric compound of oxygen embedded in stoechiometric tantalum oxide. t 7

FIG. 1 illustrates the variations of n as alfunction of P, in a deposit obtained by reactive cathode-sputtering of tantalum in the presence of oxygen. For P=O, the

' index is N,,=3.3, this being the index of tantalum. For

but closer to P than to O, a deposit of a complex compound of tantalum and oxygen, 1, has been produced upon a substrate 2, for example of silicon, the substrate 2 subsequently possibly being eliminated.

On this deposit, by using a masking technique, an aluminium layer 3, FIG. 3, has been'deposited in a predetermined zone.

The system is then subjected. to a suitable heattreatment, for example heating to 500 C in an oxygen atmosphere. The masked part 4 remains intact. The unmasked part is converted into tantalum pentoxide. Although the thickness of the deposit is small, in the order of 0.1 to l u, the walls of the region 4 are perfectly -reproducible from one end of the waveguide to the other.

The aluminium layer having a width in the order of that of the substrate thickness, in FIG. 4 the medium 4 of virtually rectangular cross-section and index n, greater than 2.2 is to be found embedded in a medium of index 2.2. This medium 4 thus fulfils the conditions required to form a light waveguide since its refractive index is higher than that of the surrounding medium; the aluminium layer can be removed. If it is left, it acts as a mirror in the same way as the substrate itself.

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of a directional coupler comprising two waveguides l1 and 12 having the same rectangular cross-section, similar to the guide of FIG. 4. These two waveguides are integrated into the same substrate in one and the same tantalum oxide wafer. They are formed simultaneously and are made of the same dielectric medium. They have two mutually parallel rectilinear portions 13 and 14 of the same length, disposed opposite one another. These two rectilinear portions are spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to their width.

The waveguide 11 has an input E1 at which the light enters and an output S1. The waveguide 12 has an output S2 and the two waveguides have respective portions 15 (in which the input E1 is located) and 18, per pendicular to portions 13 and 14 and located in extension of one another. 5

The same applies to the portions 16 and 19. These portions are connected to the portions 13 and 14 by curved portions 20, 21, 22 and 23. The assembly has been introduced by aluminium before.

Theory demonstrates, and experience confirms that if the input E1 is excited, there is an energy transfer from E1 to S2 through the medium of an evanescent wave propagating through the intermediate medium in a manner similar to that taking place in microwave directional couplers.

The invention is not limited .to the examples described, of course. i I

We claim:

1. A method of manufacturing a waveguide for supra being an oxide of the metal.

b. the deposition upon the free face of said film of a protective mask following a predetermined pattern;

c. the subjecting of the assembly to a chemical treatment designed to convert the unmasked portions into said chemical combination. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1', wherein s body is a metal chosen in the group tantalum, zirconium and said second body is oxygen, said combination 3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the protective mask is made of aluminium. 

1. A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A WAVEGUIDE FOR SUPRA HIGH FREQUENCY COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS: A. THE PRODUCTION UNDER VACUO OF A STREAM OF PARTICLES OF A METAL, IN THE PRESENCE OF PARTICLES OF A SECOND BODY, SAID GASEOUS ELEMENT BEING INSUFFICIENT IN QUANTITY TO PRODUCE A PREDETERMINED CHEMICAL, COMBINATION, AND THE DEPOSITION OF THE RESULTANT COMPOUND UPON A SUBSTRATE, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A THIN FILM OF A COMPLEX COMPOUND; B. THE DEPOSITION UPON THE FREE FACE OF SAID FILM OF A PROTECTIVE MASK FOLLOWING A PREDETERMINED PATTERN; C. THE SUBJECTING OF THE ASSEMBLY TO A CHEMICAL TREATMENT DESIGNED TO CONVERT THE UNMASKED PORTIONS INTO SAID CHEMICAL COMBINATION.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first body is a metal chosen in the group tantalum, zirconium and said second body is oxygen, said combination being an oxide of the metal.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the protective mask is made of aluminium. 